May 2012
Super Semillon
I had the great pleasure of leading an Australian Semillon masterclass at the recent Wine Australia tasting day in Dublin. It was no hardship, none at all. Ever since visiting the Hunter Valley in 1997 I have been an avid fan of the unique, chalky-dry-in-youth, toasty-in-age Semillons that are produced there. The net was thrown a little wider for this masterclass and, included in the half-dozen wines, were two from the Barossa, three from the Hunter and one sweet number from Riverina. Read More...
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Burgundy - UNESCO
21 May 2012 Filed in: Burgundy News & Views
Readers familiar with John B Keane’s play The Field have an advantage when it comes to understanding the wine region that can easily claim to be the world’s most fabled: Burgundy. Burgundy is a state of mind as much as a name on a map and its citizens are characterised by a visceral attachment to the land; you could be forgiven for thinking that if some of them stood still for long enough they would put down roots. Read More...
Argentina Part II
19 May 2012 Filed in: Food & Wine Travel
Despite appearances there’s wine beyond Mendoza, Argentina’s principal region that accounts for the lion’s share of production, and garners most of the attention from trade and consumers in the process. Down south there’s Patagonia, which, between its sub regions, Río Negro and Neuquén, is home to about 4,500 hectares of vineyard. Read More...
Argentina Part I
18 May 2012 Filed in: Food & Wine Travel
Remember the Renault 12? The small family saloon with the funny, ski-slope boot that has all but disappeared from Irish roads? Well, it still rules in Argentina, specifically the city of Mendoza, capital of that vast country’s eponymous principal wine region – as I had plenty of time to observe when stuck in early morning traffic on my way to the Luigi Bosca winery recently. Read More...
Montebello Marvels
15 May 2012 Filed in: Tastings Cellar Notes
At a wine dinner recently, amidst a host of other treasures, I was lucky to taste a trio of Ridge Montebello, one of California’s best and, shout it from the rooftops, most elegant wines. I have long tired of many of the sunshine state’s most lauded wines, finding their massive concentration and density of flavour too, well, massive. Many of them are like athletes who have been on steroids. Not Ridge. Read More...
Tasting at La Mission
Last Friday was gloriously sunny in Bordeaux, perfect for a stroll through the vineyards at Château La Mission Haut-Brion where the recent renovations are now complete. Meanwhile, across the road at sister property Château Haut-Brion, a major restoration programme is underway, meaning that it is closed to visitors and the wines of both châteaux are tasted at La Mission. Read More...
Wine Investing
02 May 2012 Filed in: News & Views Miscellaneous
During Ireland’s property boom it was said that to be a successful developer you needed a spine of steel, with another part of your anatomy cast in iron. Or was it the other way around? It hardly matters, for investing in a turbulent, overheated market requires nerve and verve. It is not for the faint hearted. Wine is no different, except in one critical respect: if the bottom falls out of the market you can always drink the wine; eating share certificates or dining on bricks and mortar is not such an enticing prospect. Read More...
